Aims and objectives
Santali, an Austro-Asiatic language belonging to the Munda language family, was mostly considered as 'oral' language and was not tied to an alphabetic or syllabic script until the mid-19th century. Today Santali is spoken by approximately 7.5 million speakers throughout eastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. As a marginalised language in Bangladesh, early materials in Santali are particularly vulnerable, and the rare materials are in urgent need of digitisation and preservation. The project aims to digitise 200 volumes of books and manuscripts published between 1900 and 1960, producing approximately 10,000 images.
The materials contain primary documentation of indigenous knowledge systems, oral literature, the transformation from oral to written cultures, and the interconnection between indigenous religion and Christianity. Santali scholars will be able to access materials pertinent to linguistics, folklore, folk songs, and specific cultural forms such as 'bhenta katha' (double meanings) and 'Bintis' (chants), hymns which are in the stage of rapid transformation.
